The Transport Workers' Union has pushed for a pause on the introduction of driverless taxis in Australia until stronger rules are in place and proposed a 'human driver guarantee' requiring operators such as Waymo to assign most rides to human drivers.
Waymo's driverless rideshare platforms have been rolled out in more than a dozen US cities, including Miami, Dallas and Los Angeles. The company appears to remain in discussion with the federal government. Some state government officials, including NSW Premier Chris Minns, have expressed support for the technology's introduction onto Australian roads.
The Transport Workers' Union has pushed to delay the rollout until stronger rules are in place, and proposed a human driver guarantee under which operators would ensure human drivers received 95% of jobs during the early rollout and closer to 85% over time. The exact mechanism is unclear, but could involve partnerships with Uber to assign most rides to human drivers, or hiring on-the-ground staff for remote problem-solving.
According to John Curtin Research Institute, widespread deployment of robotaxis without such protections could cost up to 85,600 jobs and $220 million in wages. Early data from Austin and Phoenix, where these cars have been deployed, shows per-trip earnings fell 5.3% and 2.4% respectively, compared with a 3.4% increase nationwide in the US.
Waymo's own statistics indicate its vehicles have had 95% fewer crashes resulting in serious injury or worse and 93% fewer crashes with pedestrians resulting in injuries than human-operated vehicles over the same distance. Waymo claims it is 'always alert, follows speed limits, promotes seatbelt use and operates some of the safest vehicles on the road', and labels its technology 'the world's most experienced driver'. Muroi says her small sample of US trips cost about 10-15% more when using Waymo than Uber or Lyft.
A risk identified is that if Waymo becomes the dominant rideshare provider and drives out human-driven services, it could later raise prices. Setting up a robotaxi business is expensive, potentially limiting competition. The union is also keen on the human driver guarantee because it allows it to ask the Fair Work Commission for a legally enforced minimum rate for workers, as it did for food delivery workers earlier this year. The article says this helps ensure profits flow into the Australian economy and to workers rather than ending up offshore. However, such requirements could make the service uneconomical for Waymo without sufficient scale.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The introduction of driverless taxis could reshape Australia's rideshare and taxi industries, affecting tens of thousands of driving jobs.
- The outcome of negotiations between Waymo, the federal government, and unions will set a precedent for how other AI-driven automation is managed in the workforce.
- For passengers, robotaxis may offer safer, more consistent rides but at potentially higher prices initially, with risks of monopoly pricing later.
Background
Waymo, owned by Alphabet (Google's parent company), has been operating driverless rideshare services in the US since 2020 and now serves over a dozen cities. Australia currently has no driverless taxi services, but the technology has been debated amid growing interest from state and federal governments. The Transport Workers' Union has been active in seeking protections for workers in the gig economy, having previously secured a minimum rate for food delivery riders via the Fair Work Commission.
Key Perspectives
Transport Workers' Union: Pushed for a pause on robotaxi rollout until stronger rules are in place, and proposed a human driver guarantee requiring operators to give 95% of jobs to human drivers initially, reducing to 85% over time.
Waymo (via its claims): Says its technology is 'the world's most experienced driver' and that its vehicles have 95% fewer serious crashes and 93% fewer pedestrian injuries than human drivers.
NSW Premier Chris Minns: Expressed support for the introduction of driverless cars onto Australian roads.
John Curtin Research Institute: Estimated that widespread robotaxi deployment without protections could cost up to 85,600 jobs and $220 million in wages.
What to Watch
- Whether the federal government releases a regulatory framework or safety standards before allowing Waymo to test or operate in Australia.
- How the Fair Work Commission responds if the TWU applies for a minimum rate for robotaxi-related workers.
- Whether other states follow NSW in expressing support, and whether any state moves ahead with legislation before federal rules are in place.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe Transport Workers’ Union has pushed for a human driver guarantee.The Age - Latest News: “The Transport Workers’ Union has pushed to pause the rollout of these robotaxis in Australia until stronger rules have been put in place, and proposed a “human driver guarantee””
- SupportedWaymo appears to still be in discussion with the federal government.The Age - Latest News: “For now, it seems Waymo is still in discussion with the federal government”
- SupportedThe union seeks a pause on robotaxi rollout in Australia until stronger rules are in place.The Age - Latest News: “The Transport Workers’ Union has pushed to pause the rollout of these robotaxis in Australia until stronger rules have been put in place”
- SupportedWaymo claims it is “always alert, follows speed limits, promotes seatbelt use and operates some of the safest vehicles on the road” and calls its technology “the world’s most experienced driver”.The Age - Latest News: “Waymo is “always alert, follows speed limits, promotes seatbelt use and operates some of the safest vehicles on the road”, the company claims, labelling its technology “the world’s most experienced driver”.”
- SupportedThe institute estimates widespread robotaxi deployment without protections could cost up to 85,600 jobs and $220 million in wages.The Age - Latest News: “John Curtin Research Institute, for example, has estimated widespread deployment of robotaxis without protections could cost up to 85,600 jobs and $220 million in wages.”
- SupportedUnder the union’s proposal, human drivers would receive 95% of jobs during the early rollout and closer to 85% over time.The Age - Latest News: “Under the union’s proposal, operators such as Waymo would have to ensure human drivers received 95 per cent of jobs during the early rollout and closer to 85 per cent over time.”
- SupportedEarly data from Austin and Phoenix showed per-trip earnings fell 5.3% and 2.4% respectively, compared with a 3.4% US-wide increase.The Age - Latest News: “with per-trip earnings falling 5.3 per cent and 2.4 per cent respectively, compared with a 3.4 per cent increase nationwide in the US.”
- SupportedWaymo’s statistics indicate 95% fewer crashes resulting in serious injury or worse, and 93% fewer crashes with pedestrians resulting in injuries, than for human-operated vehicles over the same distance.The Age - Latest News: “Waymo’s vehicles have had 95 per cent fewer crashes resulting in “serious injury or worse” and 93 per cent fewer crashes with pedestrians resulting in injuries than human-operated vehicles travelling over the same distance.”
- SupportedMuroi’s small sample of US trips cost about 10–15% more with Waymo than with Uber or Lyft.The Age - Latest News: “Admittedly, the sample size was small”
- SupportedIf Waymo became the dominant rideshare provider and drove out human-driven services, it could later raise prices.The Age - Latest News: “One risk is that if a company such as Waymo ends up becoming the dominant rideshare provider, driving out human-driven ridesharing, the company could then jack up its prices again.”
- SupportedThe union favours the guarantee because it lets it ask the Fair Work Commission for a legally enforced minimum rate, as it did for food delivery workers earlier that year.The Age - Latest News: “The union is also keen on the human driver guarantee because it allows it to go to the Fair Work Commission to ask for things such as a legally enforced minimum rate for workers (as it did for food delivery workers earlier this year).”
- SupportedThe requirements could make the service uneconomical for Waymo without sufficient scale.The Age - Latest News: “This might, however, make the service uneconomical for Waymo. Without scale (being able to serve many customers), the cost of setting up a fleet of robotaxis in Australia, and maintaining them, may not make financial sense.”